[sevenup5103]

Hi, I am having a problem for the first time with my Kenmore Dishwasher. It will not spin out the detergent and food is left on my dishes. We've checked the drain hose, water temperature, water pressure, "we think the pump and timer is ok, but actually not sure", the detergent cup opens when dial gets on the Water Miser Cycle. I'm not sure if that's normal. We have checked everything under the sink, and it's all fine. We've also checked the spray arms, and they're fine as far as we can tell. They don't look as though anything is in either of them. My manual doesn't have a lot of troubleshooting information in it. I could definitely use some help since my husband is ill at this time. However; he did all the repairs before he became ill, and he will as soon as he's well. But, I NEED HELP NOW!!!!!!!

[csager]

Four things come to mind as long as u are sure the tub is full and the pump is running.
One: debris like some plastic, broken glass or grease or food buildup is preventing water from entering the pump inlet. No water return = No wash, poor water return = poor wash.
Two: the impeller is broken or loose on the pump shaft and is not turning when the motor is running. No impeller motion = no water flow = No wash.
If the tub empties and the pump sounds "normal" then the impeller is likely OK.
Three: excessive clearance or blocked motion of the lower wash arm. Clearance would be due to a broken or missing shim/arm seal under the washer arm. Water would squirt out from under the wash arm and not wash dishes. Blocked motion could be due to something in the bottom of the tub like a big utensil or the dishrack not setting on the rails properly thereby blocking motion of the wash arm.
Four: If this model has a directional water squirter on the top of the center of the lower wash arm then look to be sure all of the parts are there. If parts were missing it could create a big hole to pump water out. If it is missing parts, then the sound inside the dishwasher would be like a water from a hose hitting a wall, except that the pump would sound normal then spin very fast then sound normal. This is due to almost all the water in the tub being quickly pumped straight up into the air then the pump sucks air until the water falls down and then the pump sends the water back into the air again.
Hope this helps.

[sevenup5103]

First, thank you for replying to my post.

Actually the water enters the tub well, and it sounds and looks like it is being pumped out normally. The water is hot because the dishes are quite hot when I touch them. My husband took the bottom spray arm off a few weeks ago, and it looked fine to us, but he said the top arm looks as though it won't come out, or he doesn't know how to take it out. I called Sears today, and the parts man said there could be a faulty wire in the control panel, or the timer. The timer dial advances and sounds normal at least to me. It's stopping on all the different cycles as it always has before, but I can't determine if it's washing or rinsing. I don't know when the detergent cap is normally supposed to open. Right now it seems to always open at the "Water Miser" cycle. I used it this morning with "clean dishes". Since we have very soft water, I only put a very small amount of liquid Cascade in the cup. The detergent lid still opened on the water miser cycle, but not one drop of the detergent was used at all.

My goodness! Sears charges $94 for a service call plus the labor and parts to repair it; if it's repairable. With that kind of money (if we had the money) we would obviously just buy a new one. However; that's not an option at this time.

I suppose it won't kill me to hand wash my dishes, but I'm angry that I have it just sitting there without being able to use it!

Thank you!

[denman]

Let the unit fill with water.
Then open the door and check the level.
Most units should fill to just under the heating element.
If it is low add a couple quartz of hot water.
Let the cycle finish.
If it now washes good, odds are high that the filter screen on the input side of the water valve is partially clogged.

Remove the sump cover.
It is the cover on the tub floor just behind the spray arms.
Take note of how the inner baffle is installed. Put it in wrong when you reassemble it and the chopper will eat it up.
Check in the sump for debris (broken glass etc.). Also for anything that is wrapped around the chopper.

[sevenup5103]

Thank you so much!! My husband is on his way home now. I'll show him this post. He is a plant manager of a concrete company and went in at 11 pm last night, so I'm sure it will be this weekend before he can look at it.

Again! Thanks so much! Husband has lung cancer stage III, Squamos Cell Carcinoma and had finished treatment. He'll be back to himself soon,and we pray he's in remission so I don't have to worry about these things.

[sevenup5103]

It didn't fill at all much. I had to put about 6 quarts of water in it, and there are suds in the water!

[sevenup5103]

After filling it with water; it still didn't wash the soap out of the dispenser cup, and I see little black debris in the water. It looks like pepper, but there isn't much of. I just started another cycle, and there is barely an inch of water in the tub.

[denman]

I would remove the water inlet valve and check the filter screen on it's input side. There is a good chance that it is partially clogged.
Do not remove it as it is there to keep crud out of the valve which could hold the valve open and cause a flood.
Also a good idea to drain some water out of your hot water tank, Crud accumulates here and eventually will contaminate your plumbing. This also make the tank run more efficiently.

If the screen is clean then odds are high that the valve needs replacing.

You may have another problem but this definitely needs fixing first.

[sevenup5103]

Thank you again. I'll have my husband check that this weekend too. Also, there were suds in the water. I had put about a teaspoon in the dispenser a few days ago. It never washed out, so it was still in the dispenser, but hadn't budged from it's little home. Would that have anything to do with the water intake line too?

[denman]

Also, there were suds in the water. I had put about a teaspoon in the dispenser a few days ago. It never washed out, so it was still in the dispenser, but hadn't budged from it's little home.
Not sure what the above means, please clarify.
Are you saying that you put a teaspoon of standard dish soap into the rinse aid dispenser?

Would that have anything to do with the water intake line too?
If the suds are thick enough to lift the float which controls the water overflow switch then yes but I doubt this will be the case.

The water overflow protection switch is under the tub behind the kick plate, usually on the left hand side. You will probably see a shaft coming down from the tub, this holds a switch closed which provides power to the water valve.

If the float in the machine rises (lets say if the unit overfills with water as an example), the shaft rises, the switch deactivates and power is turned off to the water valve.